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Monday, 18 March 2013

Culture Vulture

Helene – The Culture
Vulture.Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!That is hilarious and too funny for words.

Though, I have been enjoying a
fair bit of entertainment of the show type variety of late.And what a vast variety it’s been.

There’s normally music around.And this time, the music segment, came in the
form of my awesome brother, brother-in-law and stepdad, who all played at my 40th.Separately and together.I want to say “Magnifique!” and kiss my
fingers like the French do, but it’s hard to portray in words.So, just picture it.Squishy lips, eyes closed and then cast to
the heavens, fingers all together for the kiss and then all spread out like a
star – MAGNIFIQUE!!!“Très bien” – Very
Good!

And then, for a bit of class and
in an effort to further my education, I went to our local little theatre, The
Playhouse, to watch a homebred production of a Shakespearian classic – Much Ado
About Nothing.Albeit a modern and
souped up version of the classic.Not
entirely sure that the original Benedick in Shakespearian days wore a pair of
platform heels, fishnet stockings, trendy dress and a wig to boot.It was phenomenal and I simply don’t have
enough words to describe it.And despite
the 2013 rendition, of a very old story, I do believe they did justice to
it.The message remained the same.I also admit to having a vested interest
though.My incredibly talented cousin,
Roxy, played the female lead role.A
feisty chick called, Beatrice.She was
mind blowing.Her raw natural talent for
acting is indescribable.Heaven knows
how she remembers all those lines, as there were lots and lots of them.I enjoyed the modern twist to the old tale.Set on a cruise ship if you don’t mind.The cast was amazing.The props were simple, yet so effective.The director, was spot on in so many
ways.The English, was quite high and
old worldly – Shakespearian in fact.And
I feared that my eleven year old little Amber would be bored and find it hard
to follow, due to the lengthy verbal volley’s between Beatrice and Benedick.Yet, in the middle of the first half, she
leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “this is the best show I’ve ever
seen”.The humour was fantastic.It was quirky and unexpected at times.The thread that wove all the parts together,
exceptionally clever.And, I do like
clever.Not that I am.I just to happen to have an appreciation for
it.And let’s not forget my amazing
aunt, Trish, either.Roxy’s mom.I would like to venture and say that Roxy got
her acting talent from her Mom.Trish is
a hoot and is able to pull any role off with remarkable aplomb.Irrespective of the part she has to
play.She is a whizz at accents.Her body language and absorption in any role,
is incredibly believable.In this play,
she most certainly was the Italian, captain’s help body/ship’s hostess.It was hard to remember that she was not in
fact, Italian.And so, to Trish and Roxy
– Très Magnifique!!!

Still, the culture did not stop
there.I happen to live next door to the
Von Trapp family.Dinkum!No lies.Our neighbours, the De Necker family, is extremely musical.And not unlike the original Von Trapp family,
they also decided that bigger is better.They have four children.Yip!Four.Not something that one sees very often nowadays.They are all exceptionally musical and
talented.They all sing.Some dance.They play instruments.And they
act.In fact, their Captain Von Trapp is
the drama teacher at Strand High School, literally just up the road from
us.He is very quirky and a dynamic
person.Given to loud outbursts of
spontaneous song.It is delightful to
hear singing, the piano and guitar noises from their home.And I do believe that theirs is a happy
home.Their eldest daughter, Marichje
(simply called Miggie or Mig by all), has an incredible voice.And just recently, she has made it through to
the singing Nationals.An awesome
opportunity for her to showcase her phenomenal talent on a competition platform.But here’s the thing.It costs a lot of money to take part.Not only are there entrance fees to be paid,
but the competition is being held in Rustenburg.She would have to get there and have
accommodation, once she’s there.This is
going to cost a few thousand rand.I
don’t think very many people have a few thousand rand lying around.And Miggie is a bright and unselfish
girl.She does not want to put strain on
her family’s finances, to foot the bill for her competition.And thus, the solution was pretty
obvious.She would have a little
concert.Held on the stage in her
father’s drama’s class.A stage she and
her family had helped to build.They
quickly did the sums.Calculated that
they could seat 60 people a night over two nights, and set a weekend aside for
their show.They spread the word.Arranged sound and lighting and set to work
with their little production.And on
Saturday night, Amber, her best friend and I went to watch.I do love supporting local people.People in my community.And this is such a deserving cause.Miggie is not looking for a hand out or
charity.She is offering her beautiful
voice and an awesome hour and a half of musical entertainment in return. Her voice is hauntingly beautiful and she has
excellent control.She is pitch perfect
and the tone to her voice is warm, husky and evocative.She sang a selection of popular, modern and
some older songs too.Very hip and
trendy.The teenagers in the crowd went
wild.The slightly older people
too.Her selection was clever.She did a few songs on her own.A few with her guitar (she’s called
Charlotte).A few with her younger
sister, her younger brother, even her baby sister.But by far, the biggest hits were those she
did with her Dad.Or should I rather say
Dusty Burger (Tina Turner’s niece) – a.k.a. Captain Von Trapp dressed in
drag.He is brilliant, hysterical and a
real hoot.What an amazing family.I salute their entrepreneurial spirit.Their go-getter attitude and their commitment
to hard work.Team work goes a really
long way.They were all willing to put
themselves out there for the common good of one of them.Furthermore, I enjoyed listening to them
prepare during the weeks leading up to their little show.On wind still nights, we could hear them
singing.Always followed by laughing.And it reminded me a lot of when I still
lived at home with my family and we prepared our annual skit and musical number
for our Christmas concert.I wish 17
year old Miggie well.I think she’s
going to rock this competition.And I look
forward to following her musical career.

And then, to end off my cultural
education, I had a spot of frivolous fun with my Twisted Sista’s
yesterday.We went to go and see Tap
Dogs at Artscape.Incredible!What amazing talent.There are no frills and no fuss.It is just 6 guys, wearing jeans or short,
t-shirts and boots.Their set is based
on a construction site, and so they incorporate angle grinders, scaffolding,
ladders, etc.There’s even a spot of
gumboot style water dancing for fun.They have incredible chemistry on stage, those six guys. They interact
with the audience and grasp their attention.And even though they interact with the audience, they don’t actually
speak to the audience.There were no
microphones and they made no long speeches.Heck, they didn’t even talk at all!It’s all just looks, glances and body language.They tell a whole story with their feet.Their set just comprises lighting, and a
frame for their platform/stage.A stage,
they deconstruct continually and break down in order to use different parts, to
make different sounds.So, in actual
fact, they do a fair bit of constructing too.Everything that they use is on stage with them, when the curtain
raises.I was on a complete and utter
buzz the whole time.During the
show.After the show.Even now.They managed to take the art form of tap dancing, an often airy-fairy
dancing style, and make it completely and utterly masculine.And they weren’t beefcakes either.They weren’t there to show off their bods.Not a single shirt was removed.Some of them are quite young and some are
much older.It’s all about the
dancing.Their rhythm is impeccable,
their interpretation phenomenal.Their
ingenuity – WOW!!!It is so
simplistic.Yet so effective.And they prove a very important point –
sometimes, less, really is more.They don’t
over think it.They just get on with it
and do it.And it is clear to see that
they have a passion for their dancing style.And that they get great enjoyment from doing it.I am dying to see them again.Their show is still running until Sunday, the
24th of March.I urge you to
see it, if you haven’t already.You will
not be disappointed.Tap Dogs is a must!

But please, I beg you.Please let my foray into culture not be
over.I do so enjoy shows, concerts,
live music, etc.And we are so blessed
to have such amazing talent right on our doorstep.Most of it local, with the odd import, in
terms of shows like Tap Dogs too.I am
going to strive to go to more shows.To
take my kids along too.A bit of culture
goes a long way.

And, just because we can, our
crowd of friends are going to go and watch The Blues Broers on Sunday evening
at Bertie’s Mooring in Gordon’s Bay.The
Blues Broers are just such a polished act to watch.Yes, once again I have a vested interest.My brother on lead guitar and lead vocals and
my stepdad on the bass guitar and harmonica.But still.

And despite, practically growing
up with the band, I am blown away anew every single time I see them.They are top class.The cream of the crop.And for entertainment value, they’re a hard
act to beat.

No wait.I can – the Justin Bieber concert with Amber
is just around the corner….. Somehow I just don’t think I will get the same
buzz from seeing The Bieber, as I got from seeing the Red Hot Chili
Peppers.

Oh well.Every so often, one has to take one for the
team.Guess this is my turn.

Tap Dogs doing their water thing - all patrons in the front row were given complimentary rain coats. And they sure needed them.

3 comments:

Great fun! Roxy was indeed absolutely stunning in Much Ado About Nothing.Excellent to get our and do stuff......notice your Grantie doesn't join you that much..Boys not so great on culture. They want sport!

Flip it all sounds like SUCH huge fun!! The tap dogs sound incredible. Reminds me of a brilliant brilliant movie you have to see while you're on a tap dancing 'high'. Incredible how they can modernize such a talent. Would have looooved to see Rox and Trish! But really...us gals getting Bieber fever together would have been my ultimate. ♥♥♥ Next time!!